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Hot Hobbit Lovin'

Small nimble hands.

I just finished the tutorial segment of Final Fantasy XIII. The various party members have been gathered together into a unified roster, and it feels like the game is starting in earnest. I am TWENTY-TWO HOURS INTO THE GAME.

Diplomacy V - Spring 1904

Austria is now in the driver's seat. The other nations lack the political resolve to counter the Austro-Italian bloc, and between the two, Austria now has superior strategic positioning. At this point, it's reasonable to anticipate the two allies to continue working with each other to dominate the others, until such time as one or the other elects to make their final gambit.

England will lose yet another supply center as long as France issues the proper orders. She's scrabbling to keep her head above water, and is unlikely to exert significant impact on the remainder of the game. Amusingly though, she probably won't have to disband any of her units this coming turn, as her army is likely to inadvertently seize one of Germany's centers.

France is methodically dismantling England, but barring some arcane, diplomatically motivated scenario, it's difficult to imagine that Portugal won't be flying Italian colors in the fall. If so, France seems likely to continue to merely tread water while keeping the Western Triangle distracted, which serves the needs of the Austro-Italian alliance just fine.

Germany wasted yet another turn in a defensive holding pattern. Now, with his Silesian army unnecessarily annihilated and hostile forces on every side, the window of opportunity for offensives has all but closed. The noose that he voluntarily placed around his neck is now tightening.

Italy remains one of the two viable candidates for ultimate victory, but his units are dispersed in an awkwardly strung out array. However, the high level of trust and cooperation with his Austrian ally clearly remains intact, and he likely has plenty of time to rectify this vulnerability. (I do contend that the assistance he gave France against England last turn was not in his best interests...)

Russia, like Turkey before him, has thrown in with the Austro-Italian contingency. Like Turkey before him, he's busy digging his own grave.